From

Your Email

Message

Verification

Embed Video

NUM to apply for interdict against Harmony today

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is hopeful of obtaining a
court interdict against gold-miner Harmony today, to stop the
company from retrenching more than 4 900 workers at its Free State
operations.

NUM spokesperson Moferefere Lekorotsoana told Mining Weekly Online
yesterday afternoon that the union's lawyers have been in
consultation with senior counsel and were expecting to launch the
application for the interdict today in the Labour Court.

The move follows a breakdown in talks between Harmony and the NUM
regarding the retrenchments, which are due to start tomorrow.

NUM general-secretary Gwede Mantashe earlier accused Harmony of
deliberately “destroying jobs for purposes of hiding their
own management failures”, after the company failed to attend
a meeting with the union scheduled for Monday.

“These are the actions of a company, under the leadership of
its CEO, that is intent on destroying the industry. This casts a
doubt on our initial stance of not wanting to take sides regarding
Harmony's hostile takeover bid for Gold Fields. Clearly, if Harmony
were to take over Goldfields we should expect nothing else but a
total destruction of jobs,” Mantashe commented in a
statement.

The union is hoping that the application for an interdict will
stall Harmony from issuing retrenchment notices, which the company
believes its is legally allowed to do. The gold producer also
warned that more jobs could be at risk unless the union stands down
from its decision not to allow Harmony to work on Sunday at certain
Freegold shafts.

The NUM also said that, should its interdict application fail, it
would consider other means of challenging the retrenchments.

Meanwhile, the Solidarity trade union has called on Labour Minister
Membatisi Mdladlana to visit the Free State goldfields to inspect
conditions in this region.

Solidarity spokesperson Dirk Hermann said the union would like to
show the minister the reality of the retrenchment crisis unfolding
at gold-mines in the Free State.

“We should also like to discuss with the minister ways in
which the crisis may be managed,” Hermann added.

He stated that these developments come at the end of a battle that
has raged for 18 months and that will end this week with the
retrenchment of the 4 900 workers at Harmony, in addition to some 8
000 Harmony workers who were laid off in 2004.

“Solidarity has no further legal recourse on behalf of its
members since Harmony had followed the correct retrenchment
procedures. Solidarity has fought the retrenchments to the bitter
end. The trade union does not agree with Harmony's rationale for
the retrenchments and has launched a widespread public campaign to
warn the public and opinion makers against the retrenchment crisis
that is threatening our country,” argued Hermann.

The union has appointed a commission of enquiry to investigate the
retrenchment situation in South Africa, and commission warned that
as many as 20 000 workers may lose their jobs in the next three
months.